Looking ahead to 2026

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#1      

Dan

Dan
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Dan
IL Future Schedules (fightingillini.com)


Illini Football 2026

Sept 5: UAB
Sept 12: Duke
Sept 19: Southern Illinois

B1G Home Games
Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue

B1G Road Games
at Maryland, at Michigan State, at Northwestern, at Ohio State, at UCLA


Last year the Big Ten released the 2025 schedule on December 11th, 2024.
 
#2      
phats22
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#6      
DeonThomas
Dan said:
IL Future Schedules (fightingillini.com)


Illini Football 2026

Sept 5: UAB
Sept 12: Duke
Sept 19: Southern Illinois

B1G Home Games
Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue

B1G Road Games
at Maryland, at Michigan State, at Northwestern, at Ohio State, at UCLA


Last year the Big Ten released the 2025 schedule on December 11th, 2024.
Click to expand...
At this early stage, 7 wins is the stretch goal, pending the outcome of our portal pursuits. We lose a ton, and we need an INDIANA type of off-season. Toughest games:

- at OSU
- Oregon
- Iowa
- at UCLA (time zone)
- at Northwestern

If this was our 2027 schedule, I could see 9 wins. Not sure we'll get there, however, without a top notch QB.
 
#8      
HensonHall71
It impossible to project the roster in this day and age - but if we can get a proven QB in the transfer portal and some other key additions and hold onto our best underclassmen we have a chance to be very good next year

The only losses in terms of seniors that are tough to replace are Luke, Jacas and JC Davis. It will all boil down to QB- if we hit on a good one we can be very good. The RB and receivers should be experienced and excellent. No reason the OL can’t be as good if not better and the defense can only get better with the right coach
 
#10      
Illwinsagain
HensonHall71 said:
It impossible to project the roster in this day and age - but if we can get a proven QB in the transfer portal and some other key additions and hold onto our best underclassmen we have a chance to be very good next year

The only losses in terms of seniors that are tough to replace are Luke, Jacas and JC Davis. It will all boil down to QB- if we hit on a good one we can be very good. The RB and receivers should be experienced and excellent. No reason the OL can’t be as good if not better and the defense can only get better with the right coach
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Do we have a bunch of quality O-Linemen that I am unaware of? Our O-line may not have been great, but they were at least experienced.
 
#11      
mhuml32
Northwestern's stadium will be done for next season, right? Or is that another Wrigley game?
 
#12      
aaeismacgychel
IlliniFanTX said:
Rebuilding year? I am thinking so with that schedule.
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Honestly, schedule looks like it'd shape up to be fairly manageable:

Yes, there are 2 near certain losses:
vOregon
@OSU

But our tougher games against 2nd to mid tier teams are at home:
vIowa
vDuke
vNebraska

The rest of our road games are all against bottom half teams:
@UCLA
@MSU
@NW
@MD

While winning on the road is never easy, none of those teams are frightening and good teams still consistently beat bottom half teams on the road.

Finish that off with
vPurdue
vUAB
vSIU

Yes, Purdue has given us problems but in theory, should get those.

A very good team could go 10-2 with that schedule. A good team could fairly consistently go 8-4 or at least 7-5

I think it's more of a question of how our offseason goes than anything in whether this will be a complete rebuilding year or whether we can have an effective reload.

Personally, I think it's going to be difficult to reload considering how many starters we're losing and how many units we need to almost entirely start anew with, so my expectations are fairly tempered. I hope we can, but it's really difficult with a new QB and without an established OL and DL. That said, if we can reload, this schedule should not be all that daunting. If you're a good team, this schedule should be able to be navigated to 8+ wins.
 
#13      
mhuml32
aaeismacgychel said:
Honestly, schedule looks like it'd shape up to be fairly manageable:

Yes, there are 2 near certain losses:
vOregon
@OSU

But our tougher games against 2nd to mid tier teams are at home:
vIowa
vDuke
vNebraska

The rest of our road games are all against bottom half teams:
@UCLA
@MSU
@NW
@MD

While winning on the road is never easy, none of those teams are frightening and good teams still consistently beat bottom half teams on the road.

Finish that off with
vPurdue
vUAB
vSIU

Yes, Purdue has given us problems but in theory, should get those.

A very good team could go 10-2 with that schedule. A good team could fairly consistently go 8-4 or at least 7-5

I think it's more of a question of how our offseason goes than anything in whether this will be a complete rebuilding year or whether we can have an effective reload.

Personally, I think it's going to be difficult to reload considering how many starters we're losing and how many units we need to almost entirely start anew with, so my expectations are fairly tempered. I hope we can, but it's really difficult with a new QB and without an established OL and DL. That said, if we can reload, this schedule should not be all that daunting. If you're a good team, this schedule should be able to be navigated to 8+ wins.
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Going off of your excellent breakdown:

- Beat all three of the bottom dwellers (3-0)
- Split the road games against lower B1G teams (2-2)
- Win at least one of your solid to upper-tier home games (1-2 or 2-1)
- Tough sledding against the B1G elite (0-2)

6-6 or 7-5 in a reset year? Makes sense (with the understanding that Illinois and every other team is going to add + lose ~10-12 players in the next 60 days).

But going to @aaeismacgychel point, this is a very manageable schedule with no Michigan, Indiana, Penn State (who likely will be solid), Missouri (removed), or Washington.
 
#15      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Call me crazy, but we could be better if the defense is better. Would like a proven commodity at QB however.

I think the most important retention piece is the recievers. Dixon and Clement are in for big years IMO.
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We've been very successful in reciever retention and development.

One guy wouldn’t shock me if he left would be Laughery. He's pretty clearly the third RB in this rotation, and may wish to make the most of his senior year. Also, one of the biggest issues this year was the constant shuffling of running backs due to lack of identity and consistency. Those three literally flip flopped 1-3 in a span of heartbeats. A little consistency - both in personnel and production - would go a long way.
 
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#16      
TheDrinkinLincoln
mhuml32 said:
Going off of your excellent breakdown:

- Beat all three of the bottom dwellers (3-0)
- Split the road games against lower B1G teams (2-2)
- Win at least one of your solid to upper-tier home games (1-2 or 2-1)
- Tough sledding against the B1G elite (0-2)

6-6 or 7-5 in a reset year? Makes sense (with the understanding that Illinois and every other team is going to add + lose ~10-12 players in the next 60 days).

But going to @aaeismacgychel point, this is a very manageable schedule with no Michigan, Indiana, Penn State (who likely will be solid), Missouri (removed), or Washington.
Click to expand...
I think 7 wins is the only acceptable floor at Illinois now.
 
#18      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
mhuml32 said:
Going off of your excellent breakdown:

- Beat all three of the bottom dwellers (3-0)
- Split the road games against lower B1G teams (2-2)
- Win at least one of your solid to upper-tier home games (1-2 or 2-1)
- Tough sledding against the B1G elite (0-2)

6-6 or 7-5 in a reset year? Makes sense (with the understanding that Illinois and every other team is going to add + lose ~10-12 players in the next 60 days).

But going to @aaeismacgychel point, this is a very manageable schedule with no Michigan, Indiana, Penn State (who likely will be solid), Missouri (removed), or Washington.
Click to expand...
I think we go 3-1 in that stretch - just like Wisconsin, Maryland, Rutgers, NW this year. We usually win the games we're supposed to, other than that one horrid performance which always seems to pop up.

My way too early prediction would be 7-5. Win that early Duke game and you'd have a chance to swing for 8 or 9. Anything above that is unrealistic (just like this year's CFP hopefuls).
 
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#20      
Fly Illini Fly!
fatt lacosse said:
i want to bury MSU.

my biggest concern is the offensive line though. we're losing a lot of the top end there for a group that underperformed...if that was our best rotation, what was below it?
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There's a possibility that other than center (McMillan) and Henderson (who started), nobody who was on the team this year will start. I'd anticipate BB goes heavy in the portal.
 
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#21      
GMAN55
Its hard not to covet real brutes for the defense, but we more so need outstanding O linemen . Then a game changer at middle linebacker and legitimate pass rushers.
 
#22      
bluemountain
Aside from having the 5 BIG road games, this is about as favorable schedule as you can get....no UM, no IU (can't believe I'm saying that), no PSU, no USC. Agree with Mr. Tibbs that with a serviceable QB we can repeat this year's record
 
#23      
The Dying Illini
DeonThomas said:
At this early stage, 7 wins is the stretch goal, pending the outcome of our portal pursuits. We lose a ton, and we need an INDIANA type of off-season. Toughest games:

- at OSU
- Oregon
- Iowa
- at UCLA (time zone)
- at Northwestern

If this was our 2027 schedule, I could see 9 wins. Not sure we'll get there, however, without a top notch QB.
Click to expand...
To reiterate this point, the teams who had the some of the most sustained success (Indiana being one of them) focused on players with one particular trait...

GAMES PLAYED. You want to rebuild the OL? Have success at QB? Find impact defensive players?

Look for players in the portal who have a season's worth or more in playing experience. There was a great tweet that I cannot find for reference but showed 4 teams who had great years. All focused on players who have game experience. Leave the 4* and 5* guys who could not get on the field.

If you want them for development, great. But if you want to win right away find players who have not only played games but as many as possible.

QB will ultimately be the biggest tell tale sign of how next season will go but I hope Bert and staff's evals will be focused on games played more heavily than pure talent.

Oh and please cut the cord with Aaron Henry and Bart Miller. If we see either of those dudes on the coaching staff post February the floor lowers and the ceiling drops further.
 
#24      
rtbritt
Anyone have predictions of who those day one starters are from the incoming class? I'm not that tied in to football recruiting to know which guys are actually studs coming in.
 
#25      
Todd99
Any guesses on who we see declare for the portal? Any big surprises? Players you're looking forward to seeing next season that move on (Josh McCray type)?
 
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